A U.S. District Court issued a consent order on the heels of a preliminary injunction holding that Augusta-based pumping and processing leader Hagler Systems, Inc. (HSI) will maintain control of all of its intellectual property and proprietary documents in a dispute with a former owner.

Hagler Systems, an engineering, procurement, and construction company serving clients throughout the United States and Canada, leveraged prominent attorneys from the law firm Fulcher Hagler LLP to prevent further misappropriation and usage of its trade secrets. Previously, Hagler Systems had obtained a temporary restraining order in the case, ordering the immediate return of its intellectual property.

According to the consent order, entered by Chief Judge J. Randal Hall of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Georgia, previous owner Ben Hagler, Sr. and Hagler Group are permanently enjoined and restrained from misappropriating, possessing, using, reviewing, accessing or disseminating any of Hagler Systems files, confidential and proprietary information or trade secrets. Additionally, the Court retained jurisdiction over the matter in the event of a future violation of the order.

“This is a victory for our company. The consent order follows a critical ruling that protects the expertise we’ve spent almost a quarter of a century building,” says Bob Hagler, CEO of Hagler Systems. “We are thankful to the legal team of Fulcher Hagler and their tireless work to bring us to this point. We are proud of our work and services we provide to customers all over the world. We are excited to move forward, knowing that our IP is protected and that we can focus on doing the work we love.” 

In 2019, one of Hagler Systems principal owners, Benjamin Hagler, Sr., left the company to form Hagler Group Global, LLC. After a dispute arose, Hagler Systems filed suit in federal court to recover and protect its intellectual property. That suit resulted in a preliminary injunction entered in March, 2020 which led to a consent permanent injunction in favor of Hagler Systems.

“This is a landmark case brought under the Defense of Trade Secrets Act of 2016 which was enacted by Congress to protect owners of intellectual property. I believe it’s the first successfully prosecuted case of its kind in Augusta. ” Bob Hagler says. “Our work is protected now, and in the future.”